The Ohio/Penn DX PacketCluster
DX Bulletin No. 550
BID: $OPDX.550
February 18, 2002
Editor Tedd Mirgliotta, KB8NW
Provided by BARF-80 BBS Cleveland, Ohio
Online at 440-237-8208 28.8k-1200 Baud 8/N/1
Thanks to the Northern Ohio Amateur Radio Society, Northern Ohio DX Association, Ohio/Penn PacketCluster Network, AB5K & the AR TelNet Clusters Network, Steve Higley, KA2AEV, W2GR, W3UR & The Daily DX, N4AA & QRZ DX, N4CT, W4WX, WW5L, WX5L, K8AV, K8YSE, K8BN, KU9C, W9DC, KB0CY, N0TG, ARRL Letter, DL1EK & DX News Letter, DL3DXX, DL5EBE, DL6KAC, F5NQL & UFT, FJ5DX & La Gazette du DX, FM5GU, I0MWI, OZ6OM & OZ 50 MHz DX Bulletin, PA3GIO, S53R, VA3RJ & ICPO, VE3NQK and VE3EXY for the following DX information.
DXCC COUNTRY/ENTITY REPORT: According to the AR-Cluster Network for the week of Sunday, 10/February, through Sunday, 17/February there were 242 countries active. Countries available: 3A, 3B8, 3D2, 3V, 3W, 3X, 4J, 4L, 4S, 4U1I, 4X, 5A, 5B, 5H, 5N, 5R, 5T, 5U, 5V, 5W, 5Z, 6W, 6Y, 7Q, 7X, 8P, 8Q, 8R, 9A, 9G, 9H, 9J, 9K, 9L, 9M2, 9M6, 9N, 9Q, 9U, 9V, 9X, 9Y, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6, A7, A9, AP, BV, BY, C3, C6, CE, CE9, CM, CN, CP, CT, CT3, CU, CX, D2, D4, DL, DU, EA, EA6, EA8, EA9, EI, EK, EL, EP, ER, ES, ET, EU, EX, EY, EZ, F, FG, FH, FJ, FK, FM, FO, FP, FR, FW, FY, G, GD, GI, GJ, GM, GU, GW, H4, H40, HA, HB, HB0, HC, HI, HK, HK0/a, HL, HM, HP, HR, HS, HV, HZ, I, IS, J2, J3, J5, J6, J7, J8, JA, JD/o, JT, JW, JX, JY, K, KG4, KH0, KH2, KH6, KH8, KL, KP2, KP4, LA, LU, LX, LY, LZ, OA, OD, OE, OH, OH0, OK, OM, ON, OX, OY, OZ, P2, P4, PA, PJ2, PJ7, PY, PZ, S0, S2, S5, S7, S9, SM, SP, ST, SU, SV, SV5, SV9, T2, T30, T32, T7, T8, T9, TA, TF, TG, TI, TK, TL, TR, TT, TU, UA, UA2, UA9, UK, UN, UR, V2, V3, V4, V5, V7, V8, VE, VK, VK9N, VP2E, VP2M, VP2V, VP5, VP8, VP8/h, VP8/o, VP9, VQ9, VR, VU, XE, XU, XW, XX9, YA, YB, YI, YJ, YK, YL, YN, YO, YS, YU, YV, Z2, Z3, ZA, ZB, ZC4, ZD7, ZD8, ZF, ZK1/s, ZL, ZP, ZS
* PLEASE NOTE: The report "could" contain "Pirate/SLIM" operations. As always, you never know - "Work First Worry Later" (WFWL).
3XY, GUINEA. Francois, VE2XO, will operate as 3XY6A from Conakry between February 18-25th (possibly 26th) between 2200-0100z on 20 and/or 17 meters on SSB and RTYY. Also, there maybe activity on February 27th, between 0800-1300z on 15 meters. Francois will also be active as 3XY8A from Los Islands (AF-051) on February 23-24th; SSB only. Activity will depend on power availability (he won't have a generator with him). He has been informed that he should have power between 1700-0900z. This will be his first RTTY operation, so please have patience.
5W, SAMOA. Remember to look for Michel/F6COW and Dominique/F6EPY to be active from Upolu as 5W0MP (QSL via F6COW) and 5W0DA (QSL via F6EPY), February 19-28th. Activity will be mostly on CW with an emphasis on Europe on 80/40/30/17/12 meters). Please refer to OPDX.546, or go to their Web site at: http://perso.wanadoo.fr/dominique.auprince/
C6, BAHAMAS (IOTA Activity). Bill/K1CN and his wife Laurel/N1EBL are expected to be signing C6AMM and C6AWW, respectively, now through March 2nd from Harbour Island (NA-001). QSL both callsigns via K1CN either direct or through the bureau.
CARIBBEAN DXPEDITION. Bert, PA3GIO, will once again be on the move to activate several islands during the month of March. His planned schedule is as follows:
Bert has set up some Web pages for these operations and they can be found on the following URL address:
ET, ETHIOPIA. Paul, W4PFM, will be here for 6 months and has just received his callsign ET3PMW. He has been active on 10 and 15 meters the past week. Watch around 28438 kHz after 1430z and on 21270 kHz (net) after 0700z. QSL via W7KEU.
FG, GUADELOUPE. Henri, F5DBC, is expected to be active (callsign unknown) now from Les Saintes (NA-114) until February 24th. Look for him during his evenings on 20 meters on CW and SSB. QSL via F5DBC: Henri Civel, Les Reaux de Saint Dolay, 56130 La Roche Bernard, France.
FM, MARTINIQUE. Jean Marc is expected to be active as FM/F5SGI from February 19th through March 2nd. His activity will be on the HF bands mostly on CW. He will also try to operate from FM5CW's and FM5FA's stations. QSL via REF bureau or direct CBA.
FM, MARTINIQUE. Members of the "Pordenone Gangsters Group", Luke/IV3JVJ, Max/IV3FHH, Andy/IV3BTY and Claudio/IV3OWC will be back in Martinique for a DXing, contesting and also leisure trip. From March 24th to 29th, they will operate as FM/homecall from the FM5GU station. They should have a great signal and will concentrate on lower bands. Max will operate CW only, while the others will mainly operate SSB with some CW and RTTY. The QSL Manager for this operation is Daniele IV3TDM; use the call book address. Then Dennis/FM5GU and Lucien/FM5WD will join them and the group will enter the WPX SSB Contest as Multi-Single station. The callsign will be FM5GU, and the QSL manager for FM5GU is Steve, KU9C, as usual. All details about this operation, The Pordenone Gangsters and their schedule can be found on the FM5GU's Web page at: http://www.qsl.net/fm5gu/
FRC 75TH ANNIVERSARY. Mike, KA2AEV/V26R, informs OPDX that the members of the Frankford Radio Club (FRC) will celebrate their 75th annivserary in 2002. To commemorate the occasion, the FRC is making available an award to anyone who contacts 75 or more FRC members in contests during 2002. The award is also available to SWLs. QSLs are not required. For more info on this award, please check the FRC web site at: http://www.frc-contest.org/anniva.htm ADDED NOTE: OPDX InterNet Subscribers will receive the press release as an additional bulletin.
HAM-COM 2002 DX LUNCHEON SPEAKER ANNOUNCED. The Lone Star DX Association is proud to announce that Tom Christian, VP6TC, and leader of the upcoming March 2002 Ducie Island Dxpedition, will be the DX luncheon speaker at Ham-Com 2002 in Arlington, Texas, June 7-8th. Tom Christian, the great- great-great-grandson of Fletcher Christian leader of the famous "Mutiny on the Bounty" in 1789, is known as the voice of Pitcairn, the island's most active ham radio operator. He is also president of the Pitcarin Island Amateur Radio Association (PIARA). Tom will also have color slides and video from the Ducie Island DXpedition scheduled for March 2002. ADDED NOTE: OPDX InterNet Subscribers will receive the press release as an additional bulletin.
HR3, HONDURAS. Operators Bob/KB0CY, Denny/KB9DPF and Lor/W3QA will be active as HR3/KB0CY, HR3/KB9DPF and HR3/W3QA from February 16th through March 3rd; when time allows while participating in a medical mission. Operations will include CW, PSK31 and SSB on 40/20/15/10 meters. QSL to their home callsigns.
HS0, THAILAND. Charlie, N4CT (ex-T5CT, SV0CT, G5BAU, GC5BAU, TJ1AW, K4PHY/YV5, etc...), has informed OPDX that he is now licensed as HS0ZDR. However, his time for operating/QSLing will be limited because he will be traveling to various overseas locations for the next 2 months. When he is active he is in Chiang Mai, Thailand. He has unlimited access to a 150 ft. ROOF and will be taking a 2 elemnet 21 MHz beam there either next month or April. Presently, he is using a 7 MHz fishpole vertical and worked a lot of stateside stations using the callsign HS0/N4CT in the Oct/Dec timeframe. ADDED NOTE: Charlie is looking for a very reliable stateside manager. His E-mail address is: n4ct@onebox.com
IOTA NEWS...................
KG4, Guantanamo Bay. Bill, W4WX, a member of the Florida DXPedition Group, will be active as KG4DX from GTMO from February 22-27th. This trip is dedicated to 6 meters and PSK-31. QSL via W4WX.
KH1, BAKER ISLAND (DXpedition Update). Hrane, YT1AD, announced the crew for the KH1 DXpedition to Baker Island is as follows:
Hrane, YT1AD Vlado, Z31FU (ZS6MG) Dough, N6TQS
Steva, YZ7AA Roman, RZ3AA Dave, KW4DA
Miki, YU1AU Igor, RA3AUU Eric, K3NA
Dragan, Z32AU Krassy, KZ1LZ and a USFW representative
Mome, Z32ZM Will, K6NDV
The team will travel for 6 days on the "Princess II" via 3D2 and T2. Their arrival on KH1 is expected on April 29th. A special 1 x 1 callsign will be announced on April 29th. There will be 6 stations active in three tents using IC-756 Pro II, 5 LPA (3 x ACOM 1000 and 2 x 400 W solid-state amplifiers). They will have 7 beams, 3 dipoles, 3 verticals and 1 Beverage for 80/160m. For power, they will use 3 generators (2 x 5kw and 1 x 3.5kw). Activity will be on 160-10 meters as well as 6 and 2 meters. Modes will be CW, SSB, PSK, RTTY, SSTV, FM, and satelite 28/144. Pilot stations will be VE3EXY and YU1AA. The Web site will be edited by 4N1NM and 4N1FG.
KH5 INFO NEEDED. Steve Higley notified OPDX that he is putting together a Web page on Jarvis Island (KH5J) at: http://jarvisisland.net He is very interested in hearing about the past (April 1990) and future DXpeditions to the island. Steve would like to get in touch with individuals who have been on Jarvis broadcasting in the last ten years and is trying to obtain first-hand accounts of the island's status, interesting anecdotes and stories, as well as any recent photos. He can be contacted at: shigley41@hotmail.com or Steve Higley, 6385 Georgetown Court, Colorado Springs, CO 80919 USA (719) 332-4772 -or- (1) 719-598-9054
LU, SOUTH ORKNEY ISLAND. Claudio, the current operator at LU1ZA, which is the club station callsign of "Base Naval Orcadas", will be going QRT on March 11th. The supply vessel was expected to arrive at the end of last week with a new crew and a new operator (Jose-Louis) who might be active on the amateur bands again. QSLs for Claudio operations go via LU4DXU.
P5, NORTH KOREA (Updates)...............
PW0, TRINDADE ISLAND. By the time you read this, the PW0T operation should be active. Activity will be on 160-6 meters, including the WARC bands, using CW, SSB, RTTY, SSTV and PSK31. QSL via KU9C. Check out the following web page for up to the minute information and pictures at: http://www.trindade2002.com
ADDED NOTES BY Steve, KU9C: Steve requests to WAIT until the operation is QRT, and send all of your QSL requests in one envelope. If you need a separate QSL for that 160 contact, let Steve know with a post-it note or something. But, save yourself some postage, and don't send multiple envelopes. Also, DO NOT request cards for other operations in the same envelope (such as BQ9P, WP2Z,...etc). If you want a bureau card, simply E-mail Steve your QSO information to: ku9c@arrl.net DO NOT ask for a Bureau QSL if you have already requested a direct QSL response. Steve states to look for a wait on the Bureau cards because he mails bureau cards direct to each country's bureau once or twice a year. He just finished his winter mailing.
Donations will be deeply appreciated by the team, and can be sent with your QSL request or directly to K7BV (see the web site for details). This is not a low cost undertaking. Fuel alone for the trip out and back was over $12,000....but they hope the lengthy stay will substantly diminish the demand for this country.
QSL INFO AND NEWS.................
SILENT KEY. It has been reported that Jean Claude, TR8XX, F2XX, became a silent key on February 11th. He had been an avid DXer for a long time both in France (F2XX) and Gabon (TR8XX). Many DXers worked Jean on CW from several of his African DXpeditions. OPDX and its readers would like to send out our deepest sympathy to his family and friends.
SPECIAL EVENT. Another Winter Olympics special event station is on the air. Operator Ray Friess, WA7ITZ, in Salt Lake City, has been operating the special event station WA7ITZ/W19OG to commemorate the 19th Winter Olympic Games (W19OG). Look for activity to be on 160-10 meters near the lower edge of the General phone bands. Some CW operation is possible. QSL to WA7ITZ: 1801 Jennifer Way, Salt Lake City, UT 84116.
SPECIAL EVENT. Look for special event station, IR0MA, to be active during the month of April to commemorate the 2755th birthday of Roma. This station will be good for 5 points towards the "Natale di Roma Award". OPDX InterNet Subscribers will receive details of this award as an additional bulletin. Also, on April 21st, IR0MA will be active from the Capitolium of Roma. QSL only direct to I0MWI via the CBA.
T48, CUBA. Don Fisher, VE3ESE, the radio club from the University of Oriente and the No-Name DX Group, will be operating as T48RAC (unconfirmed at this time) from Santiago de Cuba. They will be operating in the SSB contest March 2-3rd. Also, look for CO9NLA to be active now through March 14th. QSL via Don's home callsign VE3ESE.
TI9, COCOS ISLAND. Despite opposition by "Radio Club of Costa Rica", this operation is a go. As this was being written, the Cocos Island 2002 DXpedition Team was gathering in Costa Rica and hoped to depart from Puntarenas on Sunday, February 17th, with arrival at the operating location approximately 48 hours later. The official radio licenses for all 15 participants, as well as the landing and park permits, have been issued by the Costa Rican authorities. Reports indicate that the multi-national team was re-issued the callsign TI9M by the Control National Radio (CNR) and the licensing authority has revised the license to be used by all team members. The DXpedition founder and leader, Henry Grunbeck, TI2HMG (TI9M), has assembled an international team of world-class operators for this rare trip. The world's largest uninhabited island, Cocos is a popular destination for scuba divers, but it hasn't been activated on amateur radio for more than five years. Although Cocos Island is territorially part of Costa Rica, it is a separate DXCC country with the prefix TI9. Because Cocos is a nature preserve, the DXpedition visitors will be required to sleep aboard their ship, a 90-foot fishing/diving vessel anchored 1000 feet offshore; there is no overnight camping allowed on the island. DXing is not exactly camping, however, and the team anticipates 24-hour operations with four HF transmitters on all bands from 160-6 meters. Due to the logistics involved in the 350-mile crossing to Cocos Island, the team can't pinpoint exactly when they'll be on the air. They estimate 40 to 48 hours of travel time, with a few additional hours to set up and become operational once they reach the island. This part of the trip will be no small feat: The island receives over 26 feet of rain per year - about an inch a day - so the first priority is setting up shelter and protecting the equipment from the elements. The final day of operations will be March 2, 2002. To keep track of the DXpedition's progress, visit the Web site at: http://www.qsl.net/ti9m/ The team will update the page as often as communication links allow. Team members are: William Turney, WS4Y; Martino Rizzi, IK3RIY; Alan Homer, KI7WO; Larry Strain, N7DF; Flo Moudar, F5CWU; Matt De La Hunt, KA0KKO; Rob Snieder, PA5ET; Ronald Stuy, PA3EWP; Robert Voss, N4CD; William Boeckenhaupt, AK0A; Alan Maenchen, AD6E; Richard Smith, N6KT; Simon Gadaleta, IZ7ATN; Eugene Kuleshov, RK3AD; and Henry, TI2HMG also TI9M.
VP5, TURKS AND CAICOS. Randy, N0TG, will be active as N0TG/VP5 from March 1-7th. Activity will be on all bands with emphasis on CW. QSL via his home callsign.
VP8 & ZD8, FALKLAND AND ASCENSION ISLAND (Possibly ZD7). Mark, VP8CSA, will be active between February 24th and March 16th and then move onto Ascension Island as ZD8CSA from March 16-26th. Activity will depend on what time will allow, but look for him on 6 meters. QSL via DL1SDN. Mark may be on St. Helena (ZD7) for a week (+/-) later this year also.
YA5T, AFGHANISTAN (Update). Robert, S53R/YA5T, informs OPDX that "YA5T has been on the air now for over 2 weeks with over 10,000 Qs in the log (plus over 2000 which Peter, ON6TT, made during his first visit). Recent activity has mostly been on CW. We will try to dedicate some time to SSB too. Digital modes are not planned now. However, if Peter comes here in the next weeks he may bring the modem along and will give it a try. We are still very much tied up with our work, but at least Fridays and Saturdays (weekend here) we try to stay on the radio as much as possible. A small vertically polarized antenna has been installed for 80/160. About 200 Qs were made on 80, but we still have to hit 160. Next weekend Eid celebrations will bring business life to a standstill here, so we will try to do more radio, focusing on lower bands over night - however still work permitting. We still are in emergency situation so there are basically no schedules for us............ 73 de Robert, S53R/YA5T"
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